Wu Shaoxiang was born in 1957 in Jiangxi Province, China. Having only received ongoing formal education until he was twelve, Wu was sent to work on a farm to lay bricks and saw wood for rafters. It was only when he turned twenty-one did he begin his career as a sculptor.
From 1978-1982 Wu studied sculpture at the Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute, then left to work at the China National Design Association in Beijing for two years. From 1984-1987, he pursued postgraduate studies under the sculptor Professor Zheng Ke, at the Central Academy of Arts and Design, now the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. An important figure in China's New-Wave art movement, Wu won the first scholarship awarded by the city of Beijing, and was named one of the "Ten Most Influential Chinese Avant-Garde Artists" by Fine Arts of China (the most important magazine at the time for modern art published in China). After graduating with a Master's degree, he spent a year teaching as a professor at the school. In 1989, Wu and his sculptor wife, Jiang Shuo, and their three-year old son immigrated to Austria, where the couple established a joint studio. Since then, Wu has exhibited extensively in America, Asia, and Europe. His works are also widely collected by museums and prestigious institutions worldwide.